The Times story examines the U.S. Chamber’s three-pronged approach to fighting back against life-saving measures to reduce tobacco use like smoke-free indoor public places, graphic warning labels on tobacco products, restrictions on tobacco marketing and increased tobacco taxes.

The U.S. Chamber’s tactics, deployed in countries ranging from Nepal to the Philippines to Uruguay, include:

When it comes to Big Tobacco, the “old days” were a time when youth smoking rates were skyrocketing, the industry used cartoons and cowboys to target kids, and tobacco executives denied that smoking was addictive or caused disease.

Old tactics help sell new products to kids

Editor
Jun 17, 2015

Teen use of electronic cigarettes has skyrocketed, with the most recent surveys showing that e-cigarette use now exceeds cigarette smoking among U.S. youth.

It's not surprising. E-cigarette manufacturers continue to use marketing tactics that come right out of Big Tobacco's playbook for promoting regular cigarettes to kids. Their tactics include slick magazine ads, sponsorship of concerts and auto races, celebrity endorsements and sweet, colorful flavors.

Youth-oriented “Be Marlboro” campaign continues to expand worldwide

Editor
Jun 10, 2015

The youth-oriented “Be Marlboro” marketing campaign from tobacco giant Philip Morris International continues to spread around the world. The latest stop: The country of Georgia.

Last month, a “Be Marlboro” promotional event was spotted in a high-end shopping mall in Tbilisi, Georgia. Located in a high traffic area, the “Be Marlboro” display featured two Ferrari race cars and a video game stand surrounded by bean bag chairs in the red and white Marlboro colors. Not surprisingly, the booth attracted the attention of children at the mall.

CDC Foundation Releases Results as Nations Mark World No Tobacco Day

Editor
May 29, 2015

Tobacco use surveys conducted in low- and middle-income countries underscore the severity and scope of the global tobacco epidemic and should spur strong action by nations to reduce tobacco use and save lives.

The results of the Global Adult Tobacco Surveys (GATS) were published today in The GATS Atlas by the CDC Foundation, along with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and the World Lung Foundation.

Governments refuse to back down to Big Tobacco

Editor
Mar 17, 2015

Ireland and the United Kingdom have become the second and third countries, after Australia, to require that cigarettes and other tobacco products be sold in plain packaging, free of free of colorful logos and other branding that encourage tobacco use.

Ireland’s president signed that country’s law last week. Britain’s Parliament gave final approval to its legislation on Monday. These laws, which take effect in May 2016, will require that cigarettes be sold in plain, standardized packaging with large, graphic health warnings.

With this bold move for public health, Pakistan joins India, Nepal and Thailand as the fourth country to introduce warning labels of at least 85 percent, signaling a strong commitment to reducing the death and disease caused by tobacco use.

Exposing how tobacco companies target kids, bully countries around the world

Editor
Feb 17, 2015

The big tobacco companies proclaim loudly and often that they have changed and are now responsible corporate citizens.

But it took just 18 minutes for political satirist John Oliver to rip those claims to shreds and show how Philip Morris International and other tobacco companies target kids around the world and bully countries that try to save lives.

Magazine helps tobacco companies reach teens

Editor
Feb 12, 2015

Tobacco companies claim they don’t market their products to kids, but their actions continue to show otherwise.

The latest example: Sports Illustrated’s just-published 2015 swimsuit issue, which contains an astounding seven ads for tobacco products. Amid the photos of curvaceous models in barely-there bikinis, there are two ads for cigarette brands (Natural American Spirit and Newport), three ads for the leading smokeless tobacco brands (Grizzly, Skoal and Copenhagen) and two ads for electronic cigarettes (MarkTen and blu).

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By signing up, you may also get occasional alerts about opportunities to fight Big Tobacco nationally. (See Our Privacy Policy)